MollyRN

Hi! I need some group input please.... Banded almost 4 years ago. Lost 136 lbs in the first year - just below my goal weight. Sat there for two years fine and then I loosened my band to have a tummy tuck last year. (Gained 12 lbs in the time my band was loosened and in the 3 month recovery time). Since then, I cannot lose a pound. The following are completely accurate stats and I need some input from you all please I work out 6 days a week pretty hard. I usually run for about 45 minutes and lift weights daily, sometimes adding a kickboxing class. I use Body Media which has my BMR at 1450 calories (which matches what my test showed, 1500 calories). Body Media shows me at about an average of 3,000 total calories burned per day (2800 - 3250) I get 75-90 grams of Protein in per day and eat less than 65 grams of carbs. Lately my caloric intake ranges from 800-1100 calories per day. Doc says eat less and I will lose weight. Honestly, it takes every single Fiber of my being to eat 800 calories when I am working out (when I wasn't after the surgery, it was easy). Band feels good. It's tight, I am not overeating and there are definitely things I can't eat, like bread, etc. WTH is going on? I have read over and over that maybe I should eat more, but how can that be? I am pretty sure when my band was loose and I wasn't going to the gym, I was eating 1500 calories a day (and gained the 12 lbs). I am feeling pretty confused and frustrated right now. I just want 10 pounds gone so I can be back at goal and live there forever. I just have no idea what is going on with my body. Today's weigh in puts me at the exact same weight I was in September when I went back to working out hard core. I can lose 4 lbs and they just come back. HELP.

Hi - checking back in. Same issues, nothing has helped. Starting seeing the nutritionist in my surgeon's office last week. She did the BMR test and it shows my basal rate to be 1800 calories. So that is reasonably accurate. She says I need to eat more, and more meaning more complex carbs. I signed a contract with her -promising to increase my daily caloric intake to 1200-1400 calories and get more than 100grams of carbs. It has been such a struggle that I am honestly thinking I might have an eating disorder But, I have complied. I have felt a little more energetic and I think I am more hydrated in general but... you guessed it.... I gained a pound. I go tomorrow to see her again so we will see what she says. If she wants me to each more or continue eating this amount, I will need my band loosened. I wore my body media armband yesterday. Here's my numbers... which are pretty normal for me: Calories burned: 3204 Calories consumed: 1292 Protein: 69 grams Carbs: 127 grams Fiber: 13 grams Total Fat: 52 grams I feel like I am at the end of my rope. My 950 calorie day was generally: Protein: 63 grams Carbs: 54 grams Fiber: 9 grams Total Fat: 44 grams On April 28th, I have hit a year at the same weight, exact same weight, while eating 900-1100 calories per day and exercising for at least an hour 5 days a week. JEEZZZZ

Thanks everyone. I like the carb cycling idea but I don't have a clue what I would eat... sweet potatoes? I had all my labs checked and they are pretty normal - a little high on prolactin. I did read two interesting things today. One was a completed study on post-bariatric patients about metabolism. It said that metabolism slow more dramatically for bariatric patients who get to goal and that the only way to combat that is working out - quite vigorously, and weight lifting. Make sense. The other thing I read about is an ongoing clinical trial for ephedrine and coffee, where they are testing if post-bariatric patients benefit from this combination as they get to goal. Results have not been released yet. I feel desperate. 1200 calories burned at the gym this morning, 425 consumed (should get to about 750 today). Weight? Up two pounds this week. Nice.

I remember what it felt like to start realizing that I wasn't fat anymore.... it was crazy, and it was a process. This tummy tuck thing.... you are TOSSED in - the change happens in a few short hours - and POOF, a tummy I never thought possible. Consider these psychological impacts if you decide to have one. I am 5 days post op - posted some pictures on my blog. http://aleadsinger.wordpress.com/

Hiya! I moved my blog in case any of you are interested in following my maintenance http://aleadsinger.wordpress.com/ 2.5 years out, 136 lbs gone.

Hey everyone! I moved my blog if any of you are interested in following my trials in maintenance http://aleadsinger.wordpress.com/ 2.5 years out, 136lbs down.

I am so hooked on these things.... they actually keep me focused and off the scale all the time. I hope I did the form right. Just enter your nickname, current and goal weight and then first weigh in is next Monday, March 14. You just enter your change - for example, -2. https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Aiox4VvE1kLndG55WjFQTG1CODY4MUx1YTJCUS0xR3c&hl=en&authkey=COCzroQB#gid=0

Call me a rebel here but.... If you are getting enough Protein (65-90 grams per day), the calories don't really matter. God knows we have enough energy stored. It is when the protein is too low that the body kind of freezes. (And drink water) I don't count calories - never have. I can't eat before 12 or 1. I eat two very very small amounts of protein per day. I do exercise and that helped me a lot along the way. My band is wicked tight - probably tighter than many people could tolerate. I keep it as tight as possible without getting heartburn. That's been my sweet spot for about a year now.

You are not a failure. Tighten that band way up - let it help, let it remind you of what you can and cannot eat. It's been awhile since I have been on these boards but my all time favorite thing I ever read was about the mentality of a successful bandster. IT IS NOT ABOUT HOW MUCH YOU CAN EAT WITH THE BAND, IT IS ABOUT HOW LITTLE. The goal should be eating only the bare minimum. My band is TIGHT - has been for a year now. TIGHT. I mean TIGHT. And that has been a struggle, but the upside has been that I no longer has any sort of relationship with food. It is simply a NON-ISSUE. Sure, some bandsters prefer to diet. I preferred to get slapped around a little. I have lost 140 lbs in 17 months and I go for my first unfill in two weeks. Be aggressive. It works. And I agree with the previous post - return to basics. Go get filled - a good one. Then do liquid for 2 weeks, like we did post-op. Get your head and your band back in the game. You can SOOOO totally do this!

I actually heard once that cold Water takes more calories for your body to warm up - but that might have been one of those diets myths I will say, anything with ice, super cold, will not go easily down for me. I like things warm or room temperature. You may actually be able to drink more if it is not cold.

The small incision between my breasts is gone completely - and I can barely see the belly button one - 14 months out. I will say that subsequent scars don't heal as well in my opinion. I notice that I may be a little Vitamin deficit in the Vitamins that promote healing. For example, I got a tattoo in July that took a week to peel (instead of 2-3 days). And my plastic surgeon says that we need vitamin therapy before any subsequent surgeries.

I write about this stuff on my blog. The band does not EVER help me make good choices, I have to do that. But I have mine tight enough so that eating requires thought and patience, and once thought and patience is added to the mix, I tend to make better choices. My theory has always been that the challenge (for success) is to see HOW LITTLE you can consume, not HOW MUCH. Making this mental shift is critical. When someone says I can eat anything, I think, but why are you? The challenge is not to see what you can still eat. The challenge is to diet until you get great restriction, which can take some time.

One other note, I do not eat 3 times a day. I am liquid in the am, coffee usually or maybe a protein shake if I am running.

My advice? My two cents? Curb this habit now. This is the undoing of a bandster in my honest opinion. Don't snack. Don't do it. Get a fill. Eat 3 times a day and force that habit. If I ate little bits constantly throughout the day, it's call eating around the band. You could consume triple the calories this way.

I wrote about this awhile back on my blog http://aleadsinger.blogspot.com/2011/08/come-onbe-honest.html

I am with Vicky - this is not a guarantee, but what it is is "IF I WORK, I GET RESULTS", which was not my experience without the band. I could work at it for weeks and not really get rewarded. The band is work with solid payback

I thought this rule was funny - but I have to say, it's not an issue because I simply cannot drink after a meal. And if I drink within 10 minutes of eating, you can bet I will see it again. If I drink when I am eating, it hurts. If I drink to soon after, it comes back up. Doesn't take any discipline for me - it's simply not possible. But, my band is TIIIIIGGGGHHHTTTT.

I agree - I should have done it years ago. But I also think that you have to make an agreement with yourself - and agree that this is your FINAL option and you will commit to it completely. This is surgery. This is not Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig. I feel like I am always saying this - but my mentality has always been to see HOW LITTLE I could eat with a band, not how much. And in my experience, success with the band depends pretty heavily on this distinction. It meant a painful breakup with my friend food and a super tight band for a while, but I have to say, I enjoy food so much more now because it is not my crutch, my consoler, my friend - it is something far more healthy for me now. It is a personal decision - but the question is not really should I be banded or not - the question is ultimately, am I ready for success or not?

Everyone on here has been part of this journey for me - AND THANK YOU AND LOVE YOU ALL. Just wanted to share my news.... I've hit my personal goal of 160 lbs. Lost 126 lbs in just a little more than a year. SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY and feel so good. Take a look at my blog if you have a moment: http://aleadsinger.blogspot.com/ Here's my picture for the WALL OF FAME at my surgeon's office:

Here we go. https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Aiox4VvE1kLndFpWSF9xdXlEdWN6cmFuNU9OX0djMHc&hl=en_US&authkey=CKS8sswC Enter your starting weight and your goal weight and then next Monday, indicate changes with - numbers.

Don't get my wrong, I am not complaining, but I posted something about this on my blog and found that it is not common among my followers. So I thought I would ask here... Since hitting my sweet spot somewhere in October, every time I get a fill, I experience a pretty dramatic weight drop in the week following. I have averaged 2.35 lbs per week since surgery - but this is mostly because of these drops. I got .15 ccs last Thursday and have lost 7 lbs in the week following. In January, I got .15 ccs and lost 6 lbs in the week after. I asked my fill nurse about this and he said that I am just in my sweet spot and I get a fill and it is tight and I drop weight and lose some of the fat around my organs and it gets loose again and I am diligent about getting these little fills so I keep going. But honestly, that doesn't make sense to me... I do the liquid 2 days after (but my calorie intake stays the same as when I am eating food) and then I do the 2 days mushy (but again, my calorie intake is the same). So why does this happen? I AM NOT COMPLAINING - I am just trying to understand the science of it. Any input?